Design

The political and social request for environmentally compatible products is putting companies under increasing pressure. Small and medium-sized companies (SME) in particular have to quickly find or develop solutions to these demands. This paper presents a methodological approach that combines the proven strategies of agile development with the specific activities of so-called ecodesign. The methodology is first discussed theoretically and then experimentally evaluated and discussed by means of a case study in a real company context.

In recent years, numerous maturity models have been developed with the aim of providing a clear indication of the progress each company has made in terms of Industry 4.0 development. However, not all models include all aspects of Industry 4.0. The models are also not equally practical. This article offers an in-depth comparison and assessment of the comprehensiveness of the ten most important Industry 4.0 maturity models.

In theory, decentralized control approaches in the manufacturing context offer several advantages over monolithic centralized systems where all functions are combined into one or into several authorities. However, practical implementation requires adaptation of the general concept of decentralization to fit individual and specific use cases, especially with regard to their sensible scope. One such use case is the assembly of high-variation products. This article shows the appropriate combination of centralized and decentralized approaches can be leveraged to achieve better planning and increased throughput in manufacturing. With flexible cycle control for work stations and suitable assistance at the assembly workstation, the previous shop-floor oriented organization style can be transformed into a series-like manufacturing process. This is done using a multi-layered infrastructure that follows the Industry 4.0 paradigm of decentralized information processing through autonomous ...

The need to sometimes respond very quickly to changes requires companies to have a high degree of flexibility and speed of reaction. Application system architectures, which usually consist of old and self-developed systems, often do not allow companies to meet these requirements. However, investment funds for new software are limited, so priorities must be set when it comes to replacing legacy systems. An adaptability analysis is an efficient analysis method for planning the renewal of the application system landscape. This article describes the procedure and results of an adaptability analysis, using the example of an internationally active automotive supplier.